A West Texas band director recently hired by the Post Independent School District was arrested for possessing sexual images of children.
Bruce Randal Bailey Jr. was charged with possession of child pornography, the term used in Texas law for child sexual abuse material. The offense is a second-degree felony, as Bailey allegedly possessed at least 10 but fewer than 50 visual depictions of children engaging in sexual conduct.
Bailey was taken into custody on Friday, October 2, in Garza County southeast of Lubbock, where Post is located.
Post ISD hired Bailey in July to direct the Pride of Post Marching Band, also known as the “Bold Gold” band.
Bailey had previously worked in six other school districts in Texas and New Mexico since 2018, including Spearman ISD north of Amarillo in 2023-24, according to his Facebook page.
Post ISD released a statement Saturday saying information received on October 1 led the district to immediately place an unnamed employee on administrative leave, pending an investigation.
Along with this action, the District made all required reports to state and local authorities, and parents, in accordance with Board policies and applicable law.
On October 2, the District learned that the employee has been arrested. Post ISD respects the criminal justice process and will continue to work with law enforcement and other appropriate authorities throughout the investigation.
The safety and well-being of Post ISD students is our highest priority. Any further questions pertaining to this matter should be directed to the Garza County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office.
Post band parents criticized school officials on Facebook for dismissing earlier complaints about Bailey and failing to properly notify families about his arrest.
“AS PARENTS, WE WANT TO KNOW WHO HIRED AND VETTED BAILEY,” posted Brittany Kronberger, who said her daughter and others reported concerns about the band director to school officials on September 30.
“You dismissed our daughters and their friends since the beginning,” she wrote, adding that students had felt unsafe around Bailey since the first day of band camp. “You ignored all the red flags from several different students and parents.”
Kronberger asserted that Post ISD officials should have personally called band families about Bailey’s arrest before they learned about it on social media.
Danielle Arthur agreed, criticizing Post High School Principal Peyton Patterson for notifying band parents through the school’s SportsYou app about a Friday afternoon meeting with 10 minutes’ notice.
Arthur said she and her family had been raising concerns about Bailey “since before school started,” and she was “disgusted” that school officials had “knowingly kept allowing” Bailey around students.
“I will not be silenced,” added Arthur. “I will get to the bottom of this matter, no matter what it takes.”
Kronberger added that “this cannot be swept under the rug. This situation is bigger than others think it is and sometimes our kids need us to be loud and protective to make sure this doesn’t happen somewhere else.”
She called Bailey working for seven school districts in eight years a “hugely missed” red flag. “God only knows what he has done in other places.”
Bailey’s teaching history prior to Post ISD includes Dexter Schools in New Mexico (2024-26) and Spearman ISD in Texas (2023-24). Earlier employers were all in New Mexico: Clayton Municipal Schools (2022-23), Raton Public Schools (2021-22), Mesa Alta Junior High (2020-21), and Roswell ISD (2018-20).
Bailey received a one-year Texas teaching certificate for music in August 2023. His current certification, effective as of May 2026, is under review by the Texas Education Agency.
Post ISD is a D-rated district with three schools serving about 650 students.
Over the past few years, hundreds of Texas school employees have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children, and thousands have been reported to the TEA for sexual misconduct.
TEA data shows the agency is currently investigating more than 3,000 educator sexual misconduct complaints and opening an average of 250 new cases each month. Overall misconduct reports tripled in 2026 compared to 2025.
